Ryan Adams

In a previous segment I wrote about Death Cab for Cutie, and how not only did I love their music, but I greatly admired Ben Gibbard, the primary songwriter guitarist and singer. Now I will track to the opposite end of the spectrum, and talk a little bit about Ryan Adams. I have difficulty here, because I so desperately want to love his music. He successfully revives the alt-country genre with a very distinct Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers vibe. Most of the time I can allow myself to disconnect my personal feelings about him and enjoy the music for what it is, but then there are other times when I can't look past the fact that he's a pretentious wind-bag. I watched several interviews of him, and always came away feeling like he was an idiot, and unfortunately that has skewed how I listen to him. His first band Whiskeytown is right on, and really hits the right groove, and because it's not a solo effort I don't feel as strongly, but with his solo records like Gold, Heartbreaker and Easy Tiger leave me feeling disappointed and a little hollow inside. Easy Tiger is a very solid work, but I still can't get past my personal feelings. It bums me out to think that I'm the kind of person who lets these things get in the way, but he's just so lame that it hurts. And if he was just a pompous jerk that would be one thing, but he just sounds like a dope when he's talking about his music. He's an extremely talented guy, that's for sure and don't let any of this deter you from buying his records because they are quite satisfying musically, just don't let the personality get in your way.

The Black Keys

I don't think that I'm saying anything in this one that people don't already know, I mean, who doesn't love the Black Keys? They blew up right around the same time that The White Stripes hit the scene. And while there are many similarities that can be made between the two outfits like the heavy blues based rock and roll, stripped down with just drums and guitar yet those surface similarities can be pulled back to see two very different bands, one steeped in tradition, and the other well versed in experimentation. But the Black Keys with traditional blues riffs have remained somewhat true to the genre since they began. I remember when I first started listening to The Black Keys I had a very distinct image of what I thought they looked like, but then when I saw a dvd of a live show was totally shocked that it was two young white kids. I'm not sure what I expected, but that wasn't it. The sonic force of the fuzzed out guitar and the soulful yearning of Dan Auerbach combined with the frenzied drumming of Patrick Carney make them one of the best two piece acts around. It's not unusual for a band to be long time friends, and The Black Keys are no different, but what is unique is the This is the only band that either of the members have been in. In an interview, Dan was asked what the challenges were in a two piece band as opposed to being in a band with more people, and his response was that he would know, the Black Keys is the only band he's ever been in. I think that's pretty cool. Not to mention that it doesn't seem that success and fame has tarnished their friendship either.

I'd like to think...

I have said this all before. Probably more than once. But I really want to think a little bit about those artists that we've lost while in their prime. It's an easy thing to go out on top. You're legend will live on forever. In the past I have talked about the likes of Marc Bolan, but today I want to talk specifically about John Lennon. Unlike Bolan, Lennon had a full career and navigated his way through several styles and cultural changes. What makes John Lennon so important isn't that he was a Beatle, or The Beatle if you like, you don't even have to like him, his music or his politics. What made John Lennon special was his ability to adapt. The Beatles didn't do one thing for thier whole career, they evolved to remain relevant, and when the Beatles couldn't keep up with Lennon's need to be creative, he went out and found his own voice, independent of what made him a star, even though it effected his relationship with his dear friends. There are few other artists that have had the courage to drastically reinvent themselves for the greater good, more than once. I don't trust anyone who says they are a lover of music, but never really got the whole Beatle mania thing, or that John Lennon was overratted. It's counterintuitive for one to be a lover of art and disregard one of the most stalwart purveyors of a particular genre.